School Shootings And The Copycat Effect

Ken AshfordCrime, Education1 Comment

This blogger is an expert on school shootings and the "copycat" effect.  his name is Loren Coleman and he has dealt with the Copycat Effect through his federal government funded research work, books, and media consultations for almost three decades. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of over 25 books, one of which is the acclaimed Suicide Clusters (Faber … Read More

Tell Me Why

Ken AshfordCrime, EducationLeave a Comment

And nobody’s going to go to school today…. Reports of armed teen sparks school lockdowns in Las Vegas Number of people dead in Amish school shooting Yeah, I don’t like Mondays either, but….

Consumer Advice

Ken AshfordCrime2 Comments

This makes sense: Don’t sign the back of your credit card. It’s useless as a deterrent, as anyone who takes your card then has a sample of your signature which they can not only use on any charge slip, but on your checks as well. However, do not leave the white strip blank. In that space, write: "Ask For Picture … Read More

The Montreal Shooter’s Web Profile

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

The crazed Montreal shooter was named Kimveer Gill.  He blogged at a goth site called vampirefreaks.com, under the handle Fatality666.  Don’t bother to go there — it looks like his profile and presence has been deleted.  But those who read Gill’s profile before it was removed say: His list of ‘likes’ includes "Super Psycho Maniacs roaming the streets freely." Much … Read More

My Prediction: The Next Media Frenzy

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

With the JonBenet/Karr non-story now officially dead, I predict that the media will now swarm over this story.  It’s got all the elements: sex (child molestation) and murder.  Plus, it involves white people in a Connecticut suburb: FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (AP) — A lawyer climbed through a neighbor’s bedroom window and stabbed him to death after being told by a family … Read More

Yeah, I Saw That Coming

Ken AshfordBreaking News, CrimeLeave a Comment

After hours and hours and hours of focusing on John Mark Karr, the news organizations are going to eat a LOT of crow. Why? DNA evidence shows he didn’t do it.  And they’re not filing charges.  He’s just a weirdo wannabe.

The Worst Defense Ever Raised In Court

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Crime, Godstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

A pedophile believes that his "right" to molest physically and mentally handicapped boys is protected because it stems from his religious belief: Phillip Distasio, who said he is the leader of a church called Arcadian Fields Ministries, represented himself at his pretrial hearing Wednesday. He is charged with 74 counts including rape, pandering obscenity to minors and corrupting another with … Read More

Dude, That Is So Wrong

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

From Missouri: The assault trial of a man accused of shoving a cell phone down a woman’s throat has begun. Prosecutors say 24-year-old Marlon Brando Gill was angry and jealous when he forced the phone into Melinda Abell’s throat in December. But defense attorneys insist the 25-year-old victim swallowed the phone intentionally to prevent Gill from finding out who she’d … Read More

No No No No No….

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

It astounds me how stupid some law enforcement people can be about, you know, the law: NASHUA – A city man is charged with violating state wiretap laws by recording a detective on his home security camera, while the detective was investigating the man’s sons. Michael Gannon, 49, of 26 Morgan St., was arrested Tuesday night, after he brought a … Read More

SCOTUS News

Ken AshfordCampaign Finance Reform, Courts/Law, Crime, Environment & Global Warming & Energy, Supreme Court, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Lot of things coming from the Supreme Court today.  I’ll combine it all here: (1)  In Hudson v. Michigan, a recent controversial decision involving the "knock & announce" tactics of police raids, Scalia apparently "twisted the words" of an eminent criminolgist to reach his conclusion.  The criminiologist complains here. (2)  SCOTUS announced today that it will hear a case about … Read More

Professor Volokh’s Criminal Law Question

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, CrimeLeave a Comment

Professor Volokh posted a question that he is giving to his Criminal Law class: Bert and Ernie are walking down the street from the local bar, when they see their old nemesis the Count. Drunk and a little paranoid, they conclude that the Count is trying to kill them, so they decide to kill him to prevent that from happening; … Read More

Bush Disobeys 750 Laws

Ken AshfordBush & Co., CrimeLeave a Comment

I didn’t say that; the Boston Globe did.  What’s remarkable is that Bush apologists — rather than saying "That’s bullshit" — respond instead with "Yeah? So?": President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it … Read More

Okay. This Is All I’m Gonna Say About The Duke Thing

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

I refuse to get sucked in to this story.  I absolutely refuse.  I think there are greater issues that we need to be concerned about rather than the media frenzy over the (alleged) horror-of-the-day.  Rapes (and rape allegations) occur everyday, and I don’t quite see what is so special about this one such that it has to dominate the news. … Read More

Coulter Schaudenfreude

Ken AshfordCrimeLeave a Comment

Ann Coulter on the 2000 Presidential elections: Seventy-five percent of the voter/felons unearthed were registered Democrats(!). If that sample is representative — and 8 percent of all Florida voters is a lot more representative than the average Gallup poll — about 5,000 felons voted illegally in Florida’s election this year. Had those votes been excluded in a post-election contest — … Read More